


The Thought That Counts

by MysteriousMidnight



Series: Dear Evan Hansen One Shots [9]
Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson
Genre: First Date, Fluff, Just a chaotic first date, Kleinsen, Lots of awkwardness, M/M, One Shot, SO MUCH FLUFF, Tiny bit of Angst, brief mention of a panic attack, not really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:55:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25606198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteriousMidnight/pseuds/MysteriousMidnight
Summary: When Evan and Jared attempt their first real date, things don't go according to plan.
Relationships: Evan Hansen/Jared Kleinman
Series: Dear Evan Hansen One Shots [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1757371
Comments: 18
Kudos: 41





	The Thought That Counts

**Author's Note:**

> Hiii. I'm back with another one shot! This was from an anon on tumblr who requested a Kleinsen chaotic first date that ends with Jared making a redo date. 
> 
> Aside from writing some headcanons for Kleinsen, this is my first time attempting to write them, so please be gentle! :D
> 
> Thank you to @Antpelts and @theinsanelycooltheatrekid for helping me come up with HSM as a movie Jared would cry at! :D
> 
> Enjoy!

When Evan opened the front door, it took him a full thirty seconds to comprehend that the boy before him was Jared Kleinman.

“Are... is that a _suit_?” Evan asked, a small smile coming to his face.

“I... _no_ ,” Jared said quickly, flustered. “No. Just... nice pants and a nice button down shirt.”

“And a jacket,” Evan added.

“Yeah... _so_?”

“So a suit,” Evan informed him, grinning.

“Fine, it’s a suit,” Jared huffed.

Evan snickered, reaching out and adjusting Jared’s collar. “You look nice.”

“I- you-“ Jared was way too aware of Evan’s hand, still holding his collar. He glanced down, swallowing. “Nice khakis, are you going to work at State Farm?”

Evan blushed. “Oh.. I guess I’m underdressed. I’ll just.. I can change?”

“NO,” Jared yelled. When Evan’s eyes widened with alarm, he cleared his throat. “I mean... We have reservations and it’s getting late. You look, uh, great. Really.”

Evan blushed harder, stepping out of the house and onto the porch. Jared hadn’t moved, though, so he bumped into the other boy. Jared jumped back at the contact.

“Sorry,” Evan mumbled, turning to lock the door. But Jared hadn’t moved back enough, and Evan’s hip grazed Jared’s leg. Both boys went bright red, mumbled apologies, and sprang apart.

When they reached Jared’s car, he rushed to open Evan’s door for him. Evan’s eyes widened in surprise. He smiled, so focused on staring at Jared, he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, and he tripped, face planting into the car.

Jared gaped at him, eyes falling to Evan’s ass, sticking in the air as he tried to regain his balance and stand. He flushed, shaking away all the thoughts he was having, then reached around to grab Evan’s arm and help him stand.

“Thanks,” Evan choked, avoiding eye contact with Jared as he got into the car. Jared said nothing, closing the door and hurrying around to the drivers side.

“So, where are we going?” Evan asked after several minutes of awkward silence.

“It’s a surprise,” Jared said, turning the radio on.

Evan took that as a sign he should stop talking; he slumped in his seat, staring out the window.

Jared glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. This was _not_ off to a great start... He vowed to salvage it, somehow.

But things didn’t improve when they reached the restaurant. It was valet parking only, and neither boy had cash. So Evan went inside to save their reservation while Jared ran to find the nearest ATM.

He was sweating by the time he got back inside. Evan was sitting in the waiting area, looking around nervously. The place was loud and crowded - two things Jared hadn’t expected from a fancy place, and two things Evan hated.

When Jared approached Evan, the look of relief on his face was so comical, Jared couldn’t help but laugh. Evan’s face crumbled and he looked away.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean- you just-“ Jared slumped, sighing. “You checked in with the hostess?”

Evan nodded. “Should be seated soon.”

Jared nodded, avoiding eye contact with Evan by pretending to look around, taking in the restaurant. It was mostly an older crowd; people his parents age, standing around in what looked like ballroom attire. Suddenly, he felt really dumb and underdressed. When he glanced at Evan, he was playing with the hem of his polo shirt, likely also feeling way underdressed.

“Kleinman,” the hostess called. When Jared and Evan approached her, she quirked a brow at them, then motioned them to follow her. She sat them at a table in the middle of floor, surrounded by other tables and people bustling by. Evan’s face paled.

“Oh, um, do you have more of a... corner table?” Jared asked quickly.

“No,” the hostess said flatly, before placing their menus down and walking away.

Evan gulped, slumping into his seat and staring around anxiously.

“So,” Jared said, scrambling for conversation. And then he opened the menu. And his mouth snapped shut.

Everything was super fancy.

And super expensive.

He’d looked this restaurant up. He’d checked the reviews. The prices hadn’t been _this_ high. What the hell? He couldn’t afford this...

He’d have to use his emergency credit card, and somehow convince his parents it _had_ been an emergency without them killing him.

Evan furrowed his brow at the menu, then glanced up at Jared, who was staring intently at his menu still.

“We, um.. Wanna share an appetizer?” Evan asked, trying to sound nonchalant. “I’m not that hungry, so.”

Jared clenched his teeth, but nodded.

This was _definitely_ not going well.

Their waiter sneered at them when all they ordered was the appetizer and waters. It took longer than it should have for their water to come. Their waiter informed them that the kitchen was backed up, and their food would take a bit longer than usual.

“So,” Evan started, scrambling for something to say.

“So,” Jared mimicked him.

They lapsed into silence, both looking away in embarrassment.

When Jared turned back, Evan had moved his hand to rest on the table, palm up. Jared flushed, quickly grabbing bread and butter to busy his hands with. Evan frowned, but moved to do the same.

When an hour passed, Jared caught their waiters attention to inquire about their food.

“Little longer,” the waiter shrugged.

“This is ridiculous. People who arrived _after_ us have food,” Jared complained.

The waiter shrugged, eying him up and down. “Next time you want fast food, try McDonald’s.”

Jared gaped at him as he walked away. Evan’s laughter startled him; he whipped around to stare at him in shock.

Evan had his head in his hands, shaking with laughter.

“What the fuck, dude?” Jared demanded.

“I just... I’m sorry,” Evan snickered, clearing his throat and trying to keep a straight face. “I just... what are we doing here?”

Jared pressed his lips together, shaking his head. “I was- it’s just-“ he sighed. “Never mind, this was dumb. Let’s go.” He stood so quickly, he slammed into the waiter behind him. The waiter yelped, dropping the tray of drinks he was holding all over himself, Jared, and the floor. Jared gasped, shaking with embarrassment. He glanced at Evan, just long enough for Evan to see tears in his eyes, then he fled.

Evan gaped after him, frozen for a second before running to catch up.

“Jared! Wait up! Hey, Jar!”

Jared didn’t stop until he’d reached his car. He leaned heavily against it, panting and trying to hold back tears.

“Hey,” Evan said softly, placing a hand on Jared’s shoulder.

Jared shook him off. “This was a bad idea, sorry. Let’s just go. I’ll take you home.”

He sounded so miserable, Evan didn’t argue. They were silent for a long time. Finally, Evan couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m glad we left when we did.”

Jared glanced at him, startled.

“Jared! Watch the road!” Evan cried.

“Shit,” Jared hissed, jerking the wheel to avoid the car in the other lane, which he had drifted into.

“I’m sorry,” he said after awhile. “That was... shitty. A shitty first date. I’m sorry. Forget this ever happened, okay? It’s fine if you don’t want a second date. It’s cool, really.”

“Hey,” Evan said firmly. “It wasn’t - it just didn’t work out. We aren’t fancy restaurant guys, I guess. We can always, I mean- if you want-“ Evan sighed, licking his lips. “We can try again. A redo date.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jared snapped. “You don’t have to be nice when I fucked up.”

“But you _didn't_. You-“

“I did,” Jared said, huffing a laugh. “I wanted to impress you with a fancy date and- I fucked up. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You were trying to be a good boyf- a good date,” Evan said quickly, blushing and looking away.

Jared looked up sharply. Had Evan been about to say what he _thought_ he was about to say..?

“You didn’t fuck up,” Evan finally replied. “You wanted to do something nice. You couldn’t have known that restaurant was full of stuck-up snobs and dickheads.

Jared snorted. “Yeah, yeah I guess... Still feel bad. It’s late now and I’m sure you’re starving and that was a shitty first date and-“

Jared frowned, throwing his turn signal on and quickly turning right.

“What-?” Evan asked, before understanding dawned on his face.

Jared had parked the car outside their favorite pizza place, turning to give Evan an uncertain smile.

“I mean... if you’re up for it?” Jared asked uncertainly. “I get it if- we don’t _have_ to do a redo if you’re not-“

“Yes, please,” Evan said with a smile.

“Eat in or take it back to your place?” Jared asked hesitantly.

“My place,” Evan said, grinning.

Jared nodded, leaving Evan and running inside to order.

Forty minutes later, they were settling in on Evan’s couch with pizza and Netflix. Jared had stopped at his house on their way to Evan’s to change into comfier clothes, since his had sticky spilled drinks all over them.

“See, this is way more us than that stuffy restaurant,” Evan assured Jared.

“I guess,” Jared sighed, picking at the pepperoni on his slice of pizza.

Evan frowned, pausing their movie and twisting around to face Jared.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

Jared lowered his head so Evan couldn’t see the tears in his eyes.

“Jar,” Evan said firmly, nudging his arm. “Look at me.”

“No,” Jared said firmly. “It’s way too early into this relationship for you to see me cry.”

Evan couldn’t help the puff of laughter he let out. “We’ve known each other since we were eight. I’ve seen you cry while watching High School Musical.”

“Hey, it’s very emotional when they sing We’re All in This Together, okay?” Jared argued.

“You get emotional every time Corbin Bleu comes into a scene.”

Jared was silent for a minute, then shrugged. “Fair.”

“Seriously though, what’s wrong?”

“I just... tried so hard to make our first date nice. And it was awful.”

Evan frowned, putting his hand on his leg, palm up, just like he had at the restaurant. Jared hesitated, then rested his hand in Evan’s. He shivered when Evan curled his fingers over his hand and squeezed; how could such a small gesture make him feel so damn... safe?

“It wasn’t awful. It just wasn’t _us_. We aren’t fancy restaurant people. We’re pizza and Netflix people. And it’s the thought that counts. It’s didn’t work out, but this is nice - us, here, enjoying a movie together. Really.”

Jared sighed. “I guess.”

“Stop that,” Evan scolded him. “Stop doubting yourself.”

“ _You're_ telling _me_ not to doubt myself?” Jared snorted. Evan’s face crumbled, and he drew back, picking at the hem of his shirt.

“Shit, Evan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I just-“

“You just what?” Evan asked, scooting closer to him.

Jared tensed; Evan was so close now, he could just... lean forward and...

“I just don’t wanna fuck this up,” he blurted, leaning back a little. “I don’t wanna fuck this up before we’ve really had a chance to-“

Evan leaned forward again, and Jared leaned back, panicking.

“What if I say something stupid or do something dumb? Like that State Farm joke. I didn’t mean it, I swear I’m trying, I just-“

Jared was leaning so far back already that, when Evan leaned closer this time, Jared fell backwards. He yelped, flailing and grabbing Evan’s shirt to try to stop his fall. But all it did was pull Evan down on top of him.

Jared’s eyes widened. “I- sorry! I’m so-“

“Hi,” Evan said, grinning down at him.

Jared gaped at him. “Um.. hi?”

“Can I kiss you?” Evan asked.

“I-“ Jared gulped, but nodded.

Evan leaned in, pressing his lips gently against Jared’s. When he pulled back, Jared was grinning stupidly at him.

“What?” Evan asked, shifting to move off Jared. “Was it that bad?”

Jared shook his head, wrapping his arms around Evan to keep him in place. “No.. it’s just... our first kiss.”

Evan blinked down at him in confusion, like he hadn’t even thought about that. “Oh.. yeah.”

“That was... nice,” Jared admitted, blushing. “Can we, ya know... do it again?”

Evan grinned as he leaned down and kissed Jared again - this time with less hesitation and more passion. When they pulled apart, Evan shifted so he could rest his head on Jared’s shoulder, nuzzling into him.

“I... are you just gonna stay there now?” Jared asked, chuckling.

“Mhm,” Evan replied, smiling into Jared’s neck. You’re comfy.”

Jared snickered, running his hands up and down Evan’s back. Evan groaned contentedly. He let out a giant breath and, within minutes, his eyes had fallen shut. Jared stared down at him in shock; the night had started out horribly, but was ending like this? With this cute boy actually lying on top of him, snuggled close and fast asleep? Could Jared really be this lucky?

Jared hated feeling vulnerable, and expressing his feelings made him feel _incredibly_ vulnerable. But Evan was asleep, he wouldn’t even hear...

So, he gently kissed Evan’s forehead and whispered, “I love you, Evan Hansen.” He smiled happily, closing his eyes.

“I love you, too, Jared Kleinman,” Evan mumbled.

Jared jumped, eyes opening wide in shock. Evan’s eyes were still closed, but he was grinning.

“I-“ Jared gulped. “You’re awake?”

“Mhm,” Evan yawned. “Kinda.”

“Oh,” Jared mumbled, chewing at his lip. “Okay.”

“See?” Evan asked, yawning again. “Told ya you hadn’t fucked it up.”

Jared chuckled. “I guess you’re right.” He leaned in and kissed Evan’s forehead again, then settled back against the couch, continuing to rub Evan’s back until they both fell asleep.


End file.
